Thai Chi Chuan

read more1 How and when did you start. I started Tai chi back in 1986 having previously practiced Japanese martial arts. I had heard that Tai chi was good for you and I wanted to learn it to improve my Karate, plus the famous Kanazawa Sensei was a student of Tai chi. At that time Sifu Docherty had just started teaching in sunny Southend-on-sea so me and my friends went along and joined up. My friend had taken me to his teacher who was a yang stylist and Shaolin boxer, and I must say the demo of Tai chi he gave me didn't impress me much.

read moreDoing the Pushing Hands practice with a partner is the best method of training the Five Strategies and Thirteen Tactics mentioned earlier. This practice will develop the sensitivity of our arms enabling us to detect our opponents intentions. It will also help to speed up our own reactions. Pushing Hands practice is not designed to train us to fight, though it does link the combat strategy and tactics with the practical application of the Hand Form. This training, using a limited number of actions in a number of situations, conditions us to respond to our opponent's movements in a natural way.